Imprint apparatus, imprint method, and article manufacturing method

Abstract

Provided is an imprint apparatus that forms a pattern on a shot region of a substrate by curing an imprint material on the shot region by light irradiation in a state in which the imprint material is in contact with a mold. The apparatus comprises a shutter plate, and an adjuster configured to adjust a state of the shutter plate to control the light irradiation to the imprint material on the shot region, wherein the shutter plate includes a first passing portion used to irradiate a portion of an entire portion of the imprint material on the shot region with light, and the adjuster adjusts a tilt of the shutter plate.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An imprint apparatus that forms a pattern on a shot region of a substrate having a plurality of chip regions and a scribe line region that separates the plurality of chip regions from each other, by curing an imprint material on the shot region by light irradiation in a state in which the imprint material is in contact with a mold, the apparatus comprising:
 a shutter plate; 
 an adjuster configured to adjust a state of the shutter plate to control the light irradiation to the imprint material on the shot region; and 
 a control unit, 
 wherein the shutter plate includes a plurality of first passing portions used to irradiate a portion of an entire area of the imprint material on the shot region with light, and the adjuster is configured to adjust a tilt of the shutter plate, and 
 wherein the adjuster includes:
 a first actuator configured to cause the shutter plate to pivot via a drive shaft to switch the state of the shutter plate between a first state in which light having passed through one of the first passing portions irradiates the portion of the entire area and a second state in which light having passed through a second passing portion irradiates the entire area; and 
 a second actuator configured to tilt the shutter plate and the drive shaft, and 
 
 wherein the control unit is configured to:
 select a first passing portion to be used among the plurality of first passing portions based on an arrangement of the plurality of chip regions in the shot region; and 
 control an exposure amount in a preceding exposure before alignment by referring to a relationship between tilt amounts of the shutter plate and exposure amounts for the selected first passing portion among previously obtained relationships between tilt amounts of the shutter plate and exposure amounts for each of the plurality of first passing portions. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising
 a relative driving mechanism configured to change a relative position between the substrate and the mold, 
 wherein the apparatus is configured to perform, before alignment between the shot region and the mold by the relative driving mechanism is completed, the preceding exposure in which the imprint material on the shot region is irradiated with light, and 
 wherein, in the preceding exposure, the adjuster is configured to set the shutter plate in the first state by the first actuator and adjust the tilt of the shutter plate by the second actuator. 
 
     
     
       3. The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein, in a main exposure in which the imprint material on the shot region is irradiated with light after the alignment is completed, the adjuster is configured to set the shutter plate in the second state by the first actuator. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the second actuator includes
 a third actuator configured to tilt the shutter plate around a first axis perpendicular to an optical axis of light passing through the first passing portion, and 
 a fourth actuator configured to tilt the shutter plate around a second axis perpendicular to the optical axis and the first axis. 
 
     
     
       5. The apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the shutter plate includes the first passing portion that permits passage of light of a first size for irradiating the portion of the entire area of the imprint material on the shot region in the preceding exposure before alignment and the second passing portion that permits passage of light of a second size, different from the first size, for irradiating the entire area of the imprint material on the shot region in a main exposure after alignment, and 
 wherein the control unit is further configured to:
 determine a size of the portion to be irradiated during the preceding exposure such that light enters parts of one or more chip regions of the plurality of chip regions during the preceding exposure and no light enters the scribe line region during the preceding exposure; 
 control the adjuster to adjust a first tilt amount of the shutter plate, based on the determined size of the portion of the entire area, to adjust the first size of the light passing through the first passing portion to correspond to the determined size of the portion to be irradiated during the preceding exposure, such that the light passing through the first passing portion to the imprint material on the shot region only irradiates the parts of the portion of the entire area in the preceding exposure; and 
 control the adjuster to adjust a second tilt amount of the shutter plate to adjust the size of the light passing through the second passing portion to correspond to the second size to irradiate the entire area in the main exposure. 
 
 
     
     
       6. An imprint method in which a pattern is formed on a shot region of a substrate having a plurality of chip regions and a scribe line region that separates the plurality of chip regions from each other, by curing an imprint material on the shot region by light irradiation in a state in which the imprint material is in contact with a mold, the method comprising:
 adjusting a state of a shutter plate to control the light irradiation to the imprint material on the shot region by adjusting a tilt of the shutter plate, the shutter plate including a plurality of first passing portions used to irradiate a portion of an entire area of the imprint material on the shot region with light, and the adjuster is configured to adjust a tilt of the shutter plate, wherein the adjusting includes:
 a first actuating to cause the shutter plate to pivot via a drive shaft to switch the state of the shutter plate between a first state in which light having passed through one of the first passing portion irradiates the portion of the entire area and a second state in which light having passed through a second passing portion irradiates the entire area; and 
 a second actuating to tilt the shutter plate and the drive shaft; 
 
 selecting a first passing portion to be used among the plurality of first passing portions based on an arrangement of the plurality of chip regions in the shot region; and 
 controlling an exposure amount in a preceding exposure before alignment by referring to a relationship between tilt amounts of the shutter plate and exposure amounts for the selected first passing portion among previously obtained relationships between tilt amounts of the shutter plate and exposure amounts for each of the plurality of first passing portions. 
 
     
     
       7. The imprint method according to  claim 6 , further comprising:
 determining a size of the portion of the entire area of the imprint material on the shot region to be irradiated during the preceding exposure, before alignment, such that light enters parts of one or more chip regions of the plurality of chip regions during the preceding exposure and no light enters the scribe line region during the preceding exposure; 
 adjusting a tilt amount of the shutter plate having the first passing portion that permits passage of light of a first size for irradiating the portion of the entire area in the preceding exposure before alignment and the second passing portion that permits passage of light of a second size, different from the first size, for irradiating the entire area of the imprint material on the shot region in a main exposure after alignment; 
 performing the preceding exposure in which the parts of the one or more chip regions of the plurality of chip regions of the entire area of the imprint material on the shot region are irradiated with light by driving the shutter plate to adjust a first tilt amount to adjust the first size of light irradiation to the imprint material on the shot region to correspond to the determined size of the portion to be irradiated during the preceding exposure; 
 aligning the shot region and the mold during performing the preceding exposure or after the preceding exposure is completed; and 
 performing the main exposure in which the entire area of the imprint material on the shot region is irradiated with light by driving the shutter plate to adjust a second tilt amount of the shutter plate to adjust the size of the light passing through the second passing portion to correspond to the second size after the aligning. 
 
     
     
       8. An article manufacturing method comprising:
 forming a pattern on a substrate using an imprint apparatus that forms the pattern on a shot region of the substrate having a plurality of chip regions and a scribe line region that separates the plurality of chip regions from each other, by curing an imprint material on the shot region by light irradiation in a state in which the imprint material is in contact with a mold, the apparatus comprising:
 a shutter plate; 
 an adjuster configured to adjust a state of the shutter plate to control the light irradiation to the imprint material on the shot region; and 
 a control unit, 
 wherein the shutter plate includes a plurality of first passing portions used to irradiate a portion of an entire area of the imprint material on the shot region with light, and the adjuster is configured to adjust a tilt of the shutter plate, and 
 wherein the adjuster includes:
 a first actuator configured to cause the shutter plate to pivot via a drive shaft to switch the state of the shutter plate between a first state in which light having passed through one of the first passing portion irradiates the portion of the entire area and a second state in which light having passed through a second passing portion irradiates the entire area; and 
 a second actuator configured to tilt the shutter plate and the drive shaft, and 
 
 wherein the control unit is configured to:
 select a first passing portion to be used among the plurality of first passing portions based on an arrangement of the plurality of chip regions in the shot region; and 
 control an exposure amount in a preceding exposure before alignment by referring to a relationship between tilt amounts of the shutter plate and exposure amounts for the selected first passing portion among previously obtained relationships between tilt amounts of the shutter plate and exposure amounts for each of the plurality of first passing portions; and 
 
 
 processing the substrate on which the pattern has been formed in the forming, 
 wherein an article is manufactured from the substrate having undergone the processing. 
 
     
     
       9. The article manufacturing method according to  claim 8 ,
 wherein the shutter plate includes the first passing portion that permits passage of light of a first size for irradiating the portion of the entire area of the imprint material on the shot region in the preceding exposure before alignment and the second passing portion that permits passage of light of a second size, different from the first size, for irradiating the entire area of the imprint material on the shot region in a main exposure after alignment, and 
 wherein the control unit is further configured to:
 determine a size of the portion to be irradiated during the preceding exposure such that light enters parts of one or more chip regions of the plurality of chip regions during the preceding exposure and no light enters the scribe line region during the preceding exposure; 
 control the adjuster to adjust a first tilt amount of the shutter plate, based on the determined size of the portion of the entire area, to adjust the first size of the light passing through the first passing portion to correspond to the determined size of the portion to be irradiated during the preceding exposure, such that the light passing through the first passing portion to the imprint material on the shot region only irradiates the parts of the portion of the entire area in the preceding exposure; and 
 control the adjuster to adjust a second tilt amount of the shutter plate to adjust the size of the light passing through the second passing portion to correspond to the second size to irradiate the entire area in the main exposure.